Tender Confusion
by gyhardin
Summary: You're Under Arrest's odd partners... the gossipy Yoriko and cross-dresser Aoi. Confusing emotions surfacing as Aoi sees Yoriko in a different light.
1. Manly Aoi

Teaser: Aoi's cousin has come a-calling. But what will he do when said relative has taken a romantic interest in his partner.  
Spoilers: Eps. 51? Movie (some references to it)  
------------------------  
Disclaimer: The characters of "You're Under Arrest" belong to Kosuke Fujishima, Bandai, TBS and other related firms.  
------------------------  
  
7:25 in the morning... it is as bright and cheerful as Yoriko feels that day. She makes it a point to come to the station earlier than the others. It gives her the chance to check out the tables of her colleagues if there's any tidbit of gossip she can pass along the grapevine. And of course, browse through the database of newly arrested felons and check out their history and family background. There might be something juicy in there (she's such a gossip monger ^_^).  
  
Heart pounding in anticipation, she opened their office with a flourish. However, she was totally taken aback when she saw Natsumi sitting by her desk staring at the tattered postcard that Toukairin sent her.  
  
"Na-Natsumi?! What are you doing here so early in the morning? You're usually the last one to arrive!" Yoriko exclaimed gawking at Natsumi.  
  
"I can't be late," Natsumi answered cryptically without looking at her.  
  
"Late?? For what??" Yoriko was puzzled. Suddenly she remembered that Chief Officer Toukairin's plane is due to depart back to the Himalayas at 8:00 that morning. Then Natsumi's presence there made a lot of sense. The last time Toukairin left for the Himalayas, she almost didn't make it to the airport.  
  
"Well, Natsumi, if you don't want to be late, then you'd better get going. The plane will leave precisely at 8:00 and it's already 7:40." Yoriko reminded her.  
  
"Right!" With that, the chair went down with a clutter as Natsumi snapped to her feet and burst out of the door.   
  
A week had passed since that terrorist incident wherein Inspector Imouto had figured in its inception. The repairs in Bokuto PD had been finally finished although there were still some bullet holes that needed to be patched up. Yoriko might be back to her old self but it's always there at the back of her mind how close they all were in losing their lives. There were still some nights when she would have nightmares about it.   
  
Lost in her reverie, she completely forgot the reason why she was there early in the first place. The muffled male voices talking and approaching footsteps snapped her out of her musings. She was baffled at the voices that she was hearing. She didn't recognize any of them and it seemed that they were coming her way. As far as she can remember, the person who usually comes in after her is her partner.   
  
Hurrying to her seat, she tried to make up for the lost time by turning on the computer and accessing the database. Unfortunately, she was too late as the door opened and came in two men. One of them was wearing a uniform while the other was in civilian clothes.  
  
She was astonished to note that the uniformed man greeted her familiarly. She was completely stumped when she finally recognized the man. Her memory was right. The only person who comes in after is her partner which turned out to be the man in uniform, Futaba Aoi. A very much changed Aoi.  
  
He didn't look anything like the Aoi that she had come to know so well. Gone was the skirt and blouse. His hair was combed slick and tied in a ponytail. Gone was the timid demeanor, and in its place was a man's erect stance. But the most astounding change of all was his voice. A slightly deep husky male voice, very unlike his female pitched one.  
  
"Aoi?? How?? What??" was all Yoriko could utter.  
  
-- to be continued 


	2. Unexpected Attraction

Disclaimer: The characters of "You're Under Arrest" belong to Kosuke Fujishima, Bandai, TBS and other related firms. Keitaro is my creation...all mine! bwah-ha-ha-ha!! (oops... that was just one of my demented moments ^_^)  
------------------------  
Note:  
" ... " - talking out loud  
.... - thoughts  
  
****  
  
"Aoi?? How? What?" was all Yoriko could utter.  
  
"I know, I know... I'm in earlier than the usual," Aoi pretended to explain, giving her a warning glance.  
  
"By the way, this is my paternal first cousin, Futaba Keitaro," he introduced the man in civilian clothes. "He's just here for a week of vacation. He's from Kyoto and a corporate lawyer." Aoi said hurriedly to cut-off Yoriko's further queries.  
  
Letting her know that Keitaro was a cousin explained a lot. She knew that none of his family know how he dress up when he was at work. Her thoughts were distracted when Keitaro approached her, took her right hand with both of his and shook it gently.  
  
"And you must be Nikaidou Yoriko. Aoi's partner, right? It's a real pleasure to meet you," he looked at her steadily.  
  
His gaze was so intense that she could not help but blush. No man had ever looked at her that way before. Futaba Keitaro stood almost as tall as Aoi, with eyes of the same color... except that Aoi's held a gentleness in them while Keitaro's had that of hardened resolve. Where Aoi's hair was mahogany, long and wavy, his was dark blond, short and straight. A blond hair was quite unusual to have for a Japanese man unless he's got a gaijin blood in him... which seemed to be the case with Keitaro, unless he had it dyed. But from the looks of him, that seemed unlikely... a man of such intensity... dyeing one's hair was just too frivolous for him.  
  
She heard Aoi clear his throat which forced her to pry her hand from his cousin's hold. But taking her eyes out of his gaze was harder to do as Keitaro was determined to keep her eyes a bit longer, ignoring his cousin. His gaze was not like he was dressing her down...but something like he was trying to learn what he can about her... trying to read her soul which was really intimidating while at the same time flattering.  
  
Aoi was starting to get annoyed with his cousin. He knew that when Keitaro would start looking at a woman the way he was doing right now with Yoriko, then he was indeed interested in her. But he also knew how fickle his attentions could be and he didn't want her to get burned by his cousin's attention. Besides, she's his partner, for crying out loud!  
  
Darn him! Why can't he just leave Yoriko alone? Goodness! She's even blushing! he scowled at her when he noticed her flushed cheeks.  
  
For the first time, his attention was riveted to his partner's face. And so just noticed that her eyes were so big with lovely long lashes that if a man would stare at those lovely clay-brown orbs, he would surely drown. The thick glasses that she always wore hid that fact from almost everyone, including himself. Next, he stared at her lips... like that of a baby's, so naturally pink.  
  
Yoriko was so flustered at Keitaro's gaze that her lips were beginning to dry up and so couldn't help herself but lick them to bring back some moisture.  
  
Aoi's eyes widened when he saw her dart out her tongue to lick her lips. He doubted that she was even aware how sensuous that move was. He was even surprised at himself that he found it so. He whipped back his eyes to his cousin's face and saw that her action didn't escape his notice. Keitaro's eyes narrowed a bit and moved a little closer to her.  
  
Enough!!! Aoi rushed to his cousin's side, taking him by the shoulder. "I'll just show Keitaro around the station," he glanced back at Yoriko while he pushed his cousin out of the office, then closed the door.  
  
Gawking at the closed door, Yoriko brought her hands up and cupped her cheeks which were still flushed. A bit dazed, she sat back down on her chair and stared at her computer screen.  
  
It felt like he was looking in her eyes for a long time when in fact, only a few minutes had passed from the time Aoi introduced him to the time they walked out the door.  
  
---  
  
Meanwhile, a troubled Aoi was hissing angry comments at his cousin as they passed the men's locker room.  
  
"What do you think you were doing!?" he spun his cousin around and glared at him, all the while clenching and unclenching his fists.  
  
Keitaro noticed the tension in his cousin's body and guessed what caused it. "What did I do? I just greeted your partner. I didn't do anything wrong at all," he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.  
  
"Greeted? Just greeted?!!" Aoi spluttered. "YOU held her hands longer than was necessary to greet her! YOU stared at her with so much intensity that even I could see she was flustered by it! And YOOUUU almost kissed her!" he roared at Keitaro, his whole body shook with anger. But despite all this, a sane part of Aoi's brain wondered why he was seething mad at him.  
  
Good thing that there wasn't anybody around to hear him bellow at Keitaro. Almost all officers on that shift were out on patrol, leaving the hallway deserted.  
  
"Why are you so mad about it?" Keitaro countered. "She's just your partner, not your girlfriend... or is she? And no, I wasn't going to kiss her at all." he raised his eyebrows in suspicion. "She's beautiful, you know. She may not be a beauty queen but she has a beauty all her own. What's most appealing about her is that I don't think she's even aware of it," he added wistfully. "She should wear contacts and not those thick glasses of hers that hid her eyes. Maybe a touch of makeup... just a slight touch, though, to accentuate her beauty." He said this while glancing warily at his cousin.  
  
"Well, it sure looked like you were about to kiss her." Aoi's eyes were twitching in irritation. His hands were itching to throttle Keitaro's neck. He refrained himself from saying more. He might say something that he would regret later.  
  
"Oh and those lips... I'm sure you've noticed them like I did. She really had no idea how alluring she looked when she licked her lips like that." Keitaro added while keeping a close watch at Aoi mischievously. "She really looks so innocent," he sighed.  
  
Aoi snorted at this comment. "Yoriko? Innocent?" he laughed outrageously at this. "She's the last person I would call innocent." He thumped his cousin's back. "Yoriko is the gossip-monger in this station. If you're hiding some skeletons in your closet, you'd better watch it. Yoriko will find out what they are," he patted Keitaro's back in amusement.  
  
Keitaro was taken by surprise at Aoi's reaction. One minute he was so angry at him that smacked close to jealousy... the next, he was thumping his back in mirth. Glancing at his watch, he interrupted Aoi.  
  
"I'd better go now. Auntie Asuza will be fuming if I'm late," he uttered dejectedly. "But I'll come back here tomorrow to see the rest of the station, if that's all right with you."  
  
"Sure, no problem." Aoi readily agreed.  
  
He perked up a bit at his assent, although he was a little apprehensive if he would meet up again with Yoriko. His cousin might have another bout of anger against him. He had to admit he IS interested in her. If what Aoi told him was true, then she was a woman full of contradictions and probably quite vivacious.  
  
Cousin or not, I plan to see her again. I want to know her better, with that thought, Keitaro left his cousin, got into his car and sped away from the Bokuto Station.  
  
This time, I will make sure that Yoriko won't be around when he comes here. Aoi muttered to himself as an afterthought while watching his cousin drive off. The thought of her and Keitaro together was just something he could not contemplate.  
  
-- to be continued  



	3. Conflicting Emotions

Spoilers: Mentioned the Prince who wanted her to go with him back to his own country. (I just can't remember which episode it was.)  
------------------------  
Disclaimer: The characters of "You're Under Arrest" belong to Kosuke Fujishima, Bandai, TBS and other related firms. Keitaro and Aunt Asuza were my creation.  
------------------------  
Note:  
" ... " - talking out loud  
.... - thoughts  
  
****  
  
Yoriko was stunned from all that happened. Her cheeks were still flushed and her thoughts kept coming back at the way Keitaro looked at her. She was still flustered that looking for gossip had taken a backseat. She even forgot about the time - 8:00 a.m. - other officers were starting to arrive, some back from patrol, others reporting for duty.  
  
That's how Miyuki found Yoriko when she entered the office. It was such an unexpected sight. Yoriko was staring blankly at her computer's monitor, with hands on her flushed cheeks -- plainly ignoring them. This isn't Yoriko at all. I wonder what happened to her, she thought worriedly.  
  
"Ohayou, Yoriko! Daijobou?" Miyuki greeted as she approached her own table. Worry was still etched on her face while waiting for Yoriko's reply.  
  
The greeting snapped her back to reality, finally noticing that she wasn't alone anymore. "O-ohayou, Miyuki! Hai! I'm all right." she hastily replied with a tremulous smile.  
  
Looking around, she saw that Aoi wasn't there. Hurrying to Miyuki's side, she whispered, "Aoi has a surprise for us all. I doubt you would even recognize HIM." She winked at Miyuki. Glad that her morning wasn't much of a waste at all. Aoi did provide her a juicy gossip.  
  
After that was said, the door opened. This time, it was Yoriko who was surprised. The person who stood by the door was none other than Aoi. What shocked Yoriko was not that it was him, but the fact that he was back to his old self, wearing a woman's uniform, complete with a touch of make-up.  
  
Miyuki just glanced back at Yoriko with her eyebrows raised in question. All of a sudden, she chuckled, her shoulders shaking in mirth which bewildered everyone in the room. "Oh-- oh-- Gomen ne. I just remembered something funny that I saw on my way here," she explained trying to stop herself from chuckling. Yoriko's facial expression was just too hilarious to ignore. She looked like somebody just snatched away her favorite toy.  
  
"Ohayou, minna-san!" greeted Aoi to everyone. He entered bearing with him a tray full of tea-filled cups. It was his turn to serve tea that day. Following right behind him was Kachou. Aoi distributed tea to everyone, including Kachou as soon as he took his seat.  
  
The last person he gave the cup of tea to was Yoriko. As he approached her, he could not understand himself. His heartbeat quickened and he could feel his palms getting clammy. It was absolutely ridiculous. She's just my partner! his mind shouted. This has never happened to me before, he noted to himself, trying to ignore the riotous emotions that Yoriko's nearness was stirring up in him.  
  
"Ohayou, Yoriko!" he greeted her in an offhand manner, putting on an indifferent mask to hide how her presence affected him. As he bent to place the cup on her desk, her sweet floral scent just wafted through his nose making him feel a bit faint.  
  
Her perfume froze him in that bent position, puzzling Yoriko even more. She bent close to him and whispered in his ear, "Are you all right, Aoi?"  
  
The brush of breath in his ear was almost too much to bear that he hastily straightened himself up. "I'm fine, perfectly fine," he muttered, taking firm control over his emotions. What is the matter with me? I'm acting like a fool! he admonished himself. He was thankful that he changed his look before everybody came in. At least in this outfit, nobody would think that a woman could affect me so. He assured himself, went to his table, and sat down with a slump. Distancing himself from Yoriko was a relief.  
  
"Ohayou, minna-san! Oh it's such a beautiful day!" Natsumi greeted everyone exuberantly. She arrived 30 minutes after everybody came in. She had a huge smile plastered on her face. Looking up from her work, Yoriko could see that Natsumi just got to Toukarin on time. Natsumi looked like a cat that swallowed a canary.  
  
No doubt they had established themselves as a couple before he left. Probably kissed, too. Yoriko chuckled to herself, but then she couldn't help feeling envious of her and Miyuki. They had men in their lives... men who absolutely adore them. Nakajima was a sure thing and recently, Toukarin had shown his more than friendly concern over Natsumi. With thoughts on this, Keitaro's face sprang to mind. She heaved a sad sigh, I wonder if I would ever see him again -- Yoriko, get a hold of yourself! That's just a wishful thinking on your part. HE IS NOT interested in you! she berated herself. Determined to refrain from self-pity, she resolved to just bury herself in her work.  
  
It was almost lunchtime when Yoriko gave in to her curiosity. "Uhmm, Aoi?" she hesitantly called him.  
  
Refusing to look at her, Aoi busied himself with his paperwork while responding to her call. "What is it, Yoriko? Is there something wrong?" he asked coolly.  
  
"Ano-- where is Keitaro-san? Wasn't he with you when you came in?" she queried.  
  
Upon hearing this, it took most of his control to wipe off the scowl before it would show on his face. "Yes, he was with me but he had to leave 10 minutes after I introduced you to each other. He had to meet with Asuza-san. She wanted him to help her set-up a party." He intentionally withheld the fact that Asuza was their Aunt. He hoped that Yoriko would think that she was Keitaro's girlfriend. Although for the life of him, he couldn't understand why he did that.  
  
Noon. They all headed to the canteen, trying to get there first before Natsumi. Usually, Aoi would be having his lunch with Yoriko, Nakajima, Miyuki and Natsumi. But today, he ate with a different group. Nobody really found this strange. But as the day ended, Yoriko could no longer ignore the fact that somehow Aoi was avoiding her. During their patrol, he hardly talked to her, he would just grunt every time she would ask him something. He would not even look at her. When they came back to the station, he just parked the car and left without even a backward glance at her, almost denying her existence. She found his actions quite baffling.  
  
Truth to tell, Aoi had been praying for the day to end soon. Earlier that day, after they had lunch, Yoriko and Aoi went out for patrol. He opened the car and settled in the driver's seat, but when Yoriko took the seat next to him, he started noticing things about her. Things that he had never taken a second glance at before. The flash of slender creamy white thighs, the trimness of her waist, the way she brushed off the errant hair that kept falling down her face, the thrust of her chest as she arched her back to stretch in the cramped car, and how small and fragile she looked in her seat. Annoyed at himself and her, he refused to look at Yoriko during the whole stretch of their patrol. He even hurriedly left her at the carpark as soon as he closed the door. He had to get away from her. He needed to assess the feelings that her presence seemed to evoke in him. They were all so new, titillating yet so frightening.  
  
------  
  
The next day, again, Yoriko came in early. But when she entered the station, Keitaro was already sitting in the lobby waiting for Aoi to arrive. As soon as he set eyes on her, he stood up and approached her. Since she had convinced herself yesterday that he couldn't possibly be interested in her, she completely dismissed it, and so was her same bubbly self again.  
  
"Ohayou, Futaba-san! You're quite early today. I don't think Aoi has arrived yet." She greeted him animatedly.  
  
"Ohayou, Yoriko-san! It really is quite a treat to see you again. I know Aoi isn't here yet, that's why I'm in early. I've noticed that you were the first one here yesterday so I thought to be here when you come." He told her seriously as he looked down at her, took both of her hands and held them in his. "I had been thinking of you since I left here. I just know that I had to see you again," Keitaro whispered to her gently.  
  
"Ehe-he-he... Keitaro-san, you are jesting! I am hardly a woman that would make a strong impression in a man." She protested while trying to take back her hands. She moved on, heading to the office. She avoided looking back at him... she didn't want him to see her blushing. If she didn't know any better, she would think that he just gave her a flirty compliment. The only other person who expressed interest in her was the Prince of Arabia (not quite sure if this is the right country, though :(.) But he didn't count for he was a few years younger than she was and besides, his interest in her wasn't really of a romantic nature.  
  
Following Yoriko down the hall towards the office, he couldn't help but admire the way her skirt molded itself on her hips and the beautiful length of her chestnut hair. His fingers were itching to run them through her hair, would love to smell her sweet perfume. He shook his head and chuckled at himself. It had been quite some time since a woman had made me think such thoughts.  
  
Yoriko sat down infront of her computer and was about to start on her work (digging for some gossip ^_^). She was startled when Keitaro leaned his body on her table and lifted her chin up. "Keitaro-san, what do you think you are do ----?" she exclaimed. However, the rest of her sentence was cut off when she felt his lips on hers. Her eyes widened in total shock. It was a lingering kiss, one that she had never experienced before.  
  
That was the scene that Aoi saw when he entered the office. His cousin bending towards Yoriko with his lips on hers -- and then Aoi saw red. A growl came out of his mouth and rushed towards them. He pulled Keitaro off of her and punched him in the nose. "How dare you!!" Aoi yelled. "I never thought you could stoop this low!" he growled out, whole body shaking in fury. "You don't do that to my ----" but he stopped himself, amazed at what he was about to blurt out.  
  
"Your what, Aoi-kun?" Keitaro interrupted his thoughts, holding on to his bleeding nose. "Your girlfriend?" he inquired seriously.  
  
"NO! My partner!" Aoi denied vehemently, although at the back of his mind that was exactly the word that he was about to say. He abruptly wheeled around, ignored his cousin, and focused his attention on Yoriko. "And as for YOU!" he snapped at her. "I thought you were just a gossip-monger, I didn't know that you are also a goddamn flirt," he accused her, his voice heavy with scorn.  
  
"Aoi! You take that back! I am not a flirt!" she angrily stamped over and pulled on his sleeve. However, Aoi just yanked back his sleeve and refused to listen to her. He glowered at her - he was indeed furious -- then turned around and left, slamming shut the door behind him.  
  
-- to be continued.  



	4. Unjust Accusation

Disclaimer: The characters of "You're Under Arrest" belong to Kosuke Fujishima, Bandai, TBS and other related firms. Keitaro and Aunt Asuza were my creation.  
------------------------  
Note:  
" ... " - talking out loud  
.... - thoughts  
( .... ) - author's thoughts  
  
****  
  
Yoriko was so shocked to witness a furious Aoi. Kuso! I can't understand him. Why was he so mad? she wondered. It seemed that she was seeing a different side of Aoi. She turned to look at Keitaro with question in her eyes. "Why did you kiss me? Did I do or say something that prompted you to do it?" she inquired of him, eyes shining with unshed tears. "Why was Aoi so mad at me? Tell me, please... I don't understand," she pleaded, her voice breaking.  
  
Keitaro wanted so much to gather her in his arms and comfort her, but he knew that was the last thing she would welcome now. "You didn't do anything wrong, Yoriko. I just wanted to kiss you... the feeling came over me even yesterday and it's just now that acted on it. I really wanted to know if your lips were as sweet as I imagined them to be," he confessed while nursing his broken nose. "I don't think Aoi is really mad at you, seems more like, he's mad at himself." Keitaro explained with a slight grimace on his face as he approached her.  
  
She took one step backwards as she saw him advance, "What do you mean by Aoi being mad at himself? That is even more ridiculous than the fact that he was mad at me!" She exclaimed, getting more confused by the minute. She was starting to panic as he closed the distance between them. She just didn't know what to do anymore. She had never been in such situation before.  
  
"Please, Yoriko, don't be afraid of me," he muttered and stopped his advance, head hanging down dismally. "I'm so sorry for what happened. I'll go and talk to Aoi. He should apologize to you. He was way over his head when he accused you of being a flirt. That is one thing you are not!" he declared. "That is also one thing that drew me to you. You weren't like the other women I've met. They almost always throw themselves right at me. Most of them would scream, swoon or even flirt outrageously... not even giving time for us to be introduced properly. I guess when I met you and you didn't react the way I thought you would, it was a heady experience, coupled with the fact that I really find you attractive, I just lost my head." He gently explained, a bit embarrassed for admitting it to her. "I'll bring back Aoi here ready with his apologies," he left the office and slowly closed the door behind him.  
  
Yoriko sat in her chair still dazed. But it didn't take long for things that happened in just two days to come crashing down on her. She just broke down and cried for full 5 minutes before she can pull herself together. Two days and all these had already happened! she sniffed, wiping her eyes. "Oh my god!" she gasped out loud. Masaka! she shook her head vigorously. It just can't be true! she denied. He can't be jealous of Keitaro, can he? she wondered. She stared blankly at her computer monitor while thoughts of a jealous Aoi were buzzing through her head.  
  
-------  
  
Meanwhile, Aoi stormed out of the station and let his rioting emotions calm down with a breath of fresh morning air. The scene of Keitaro and Yoriko kissing kept playing in his mind. What really galled him the most was the fact that Keitaro could have any girl he wanted, why did he have to pick on Yoriko? She might be vivacious and gossipy but despite that, she was still naïve when it came to matters of the heart. He took a deep breath and shook his head to clear such thoughts. Darn it! Why am I thinking of her a lot lately? I'm not interested in her, am I? his eyes widened at that thought. No way!! I'm just being concerned. She's my partner and a dear friend. YES! That's all she really is to me. He convinced himself with that.  
  
"Aoi-kun! Why the heck did you punch me?!" Keitaro demanded of him as Aoi spotted his cousin coming towards him still nursing his nose. He stomped over to Aoi and suddenly punched him in the gut. "That's for breaking my nose!" and punched again, "and that's for accusing Yoriko and making her cry!" He was satisfied to see Aoi doubling over. "How am I supposed to explain my nose next week to my agent? Have you goddamned forgotten that I have to shoot another commercial next week? You should have told me in the first place that Yoriko is your girlfriend, then I wouldn't have made a move on her." He lashed at Aoi verbally. "She's the first woman I've met since I started my career in commercial modeling who didn't hang on to me in our first meeting. And I do find her attractive, couz." He turned his back on Aoi as he said that last part.  
  
Aoi looked up at him and slowly straightened himself up still holding his belly, grimacing in pain. "I know, Kei-kun. I can tell. And she's not my girlfriend. She's a dear friend though and I just know how you are. You easily get tired and leave your woman on a lurch. I don't want you to do that to her." Still denying the contradicting emotions within him as he said this. "And I can't for the life of me, understand why you took a modeling career when you're doing great as a corporate lawyer." He shook his said and looked at his cousin in wonder.  
  
Keitaro glanced back at him and grinned, "well, being a lawyer can be so boring with all the legalities and everything... modeling gave me the opportunity to get out of the routine." He sighed inwardly when he realized that Aoi had calmed down already. "But I had to admit though, it was the easiest way to get my pick of women. Unfortunately, it turned out to be such a pain in the neck," he frowned and scratched the back of his head in annoyance. Draping his arm over Aoi's shoulders, he nudged him back inside the station. "Come on, man, you need to apologize to Yoriko. It wasn't her fault, couz. I was the one who kissed her. She didn't flirt with me, that's for sure. If there was ever a time when I would wish for a woman to flirt with me, this would be IT." He sighed in regret.  
  
"I guess I over-reacted about the whole scene," Aoi admitted sheepishly. "I should have known better. We've been partners for almost forever and I've never seen her yet flirt with any man. Not even the time when there was an actor who came to the station." He chuckled at that memory. "Although her being a nosey-body is very annoying... the worse of it is, she couldn't even get some of her gossips right," he sniggered.  
  
"So... she's not your girlfriend at all?" Keitaro asked warily, giving him a sidelong glance.  
  
"Ahh... of course, not." Aoi exclaimed suddenly feeling foolish for going postal over such a trivial thing.  
  
"So it's perfectly alright with you if I pursue her?" His cousin anxiously asked him. "I'm really interested in her, Aoi. And I want her to be my date to the upcoming cocktail party that Azusa-obasan set up for this weekend."  
  
"Heck, no!" he laughingly replied, "it's absolutely okay with me." Outwardly, it really did seem that he was amenable to this idea. But inside, he winced at the thought and a nagging tiny voice kept telling him that what he said was an outright lie.  
  
"Phew!" Keitaro wiped his imaginary sweat on his forehead with the back of his right hand and thumped Aoi on the back. "I'm really glad to hear that. You had me worried there for a while."  
  
Think! Think! I have to find a way to discourage him. Yoriko is so naive when it comes to the matters of the heart that I can't, with a clear conscience, allow her to be taken in by my fickle cousin. Aoi tried to convince himself that he was only thinking this to spare her from any possible heartache. But if he would just admit to himself and examine his feelings closely, he would find that he was way off his mark.  
  
"Yoriko as your date??!" He laughed out loud, making it obvious how ridiculous he found that idea.. "I definitely doubt that she has anything remotely decent to wear on a cocktail party. You do know that Aunt Azusa always throws a lavish party, right? She'd stand out like a sore thumb." However true this statement was, he still grimaced inwards for ridiculing his partner to his cousin.  
  
"Well, I'm not worried. I'll think of something to fix that," a determined Keitaro replied. "Just wait and see. Oh she will definitely stand out. I promise you that." He swore with a gleam in his eyes as he walked out of the station.  
  
Aoi stared dumbly at the retreating back of his cousin as he digested Keitaro's words. Oh no! I think I've made things worst! He groaned as he dropped his head on his left hand and shook his head in defeat.  
  
--to be continued. 


End file.
